Hey everyone -- I'm running PMS on my main desktop machine right now (2.4ghz dual core), but would like to push the load off onto another computer. What does PMS need to be able to run properly? I was thinking about trying to install it on my NSLU2, but i don't know if that would work. I am also considering getting a Buffalo Linkstation (i like this one: http://www.buffalotech.com/products/net ... tion-mini/), which already runs DLNA and some other kinds of servers...

What are your experiences and opinions? I've heard that the transcoding can eat up the CPU, but i don't really know about this stuff.

Well, I have heard of people running things like Twonky and TVersity off the NSLU2. And I think that the Linkstations come with Twonky or something installed. So I'm assuming that these things do transcoding of some kind, right? I honestly don't know much about this stuff yet. How much power is really needed to do these things? I'd like to find the a small/simple device to to act as a NAS and run PMS on it. While running it off the desktop machine works OK, I would think that other people would want to also set up there media servers through something like a NAS (possibly one running a torrent client )

the_stalli0n wrote:Well, I have heard of people running things like Twonky and TVersity off the NSLU2.

You are right they run this stuff on nasdevices BUT they are used as streaming devices where the media format is already known by the device, in this case the ps3.A mkv file is not understood natively by the ps3, to make it play you have to transcode it to a format which ps3 understand, like mpg2.

momfer wrote:You are right they run this stuff on nasdevices BUT they are used as streaming devices where the media format is already known by the device, in this case the ps3.A mkv file is not understood natively by the ps3, to make it play you have to transcode it to a format which ps3 understand, like mpg2.

Allright, but even if you don't use PMS as (video) transcoder, it has advantages above standard servers and the PS3 itself, like playlist handling and the ability to stream internet radio stations.

momfer wrote:You are right they run this stuff on nasdevices BUT they are used as streaming devices where the media format is already known by the device, in this case the ps3.A mkv file is not understood natively by the ps3, to make it play you have to transcode it to a format which ps3 understand, like mpg2.

Allright, but even if you don't use PMS as (video) transcoder, it has advantages above standard servers and the PS3 itself, like playlist handling and the ability to stream internet radio stations.

momfer wrote:You are right they run this stuff on nasdevices BUT they are used as streaming devices where the media format is already known by the device, in this case the ps3.A mkv file is not understood natively by the ps3, to make it play you have to transcode it to a format which ps3 understand, like mpg2.

Allright, but even if you don't use PMS as (video) transcoder, it has advantages above standard servers and the PS3 itself, like playlist handling and the ability to stream internet radio stations.

Ahh, I see - that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification. So, you are saying that I *could* run PMS off a NAS, but that I should not try to transcode files while doing so. That might be a workable option: Run PMS off the NAS for supported file types, or easy to decode files (.CBR, .CBZ), and then run another PMS from the desktop machine for files that the NAS can't handle. How does that sound?